Station indicator



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No. 352,576. Patented Nov; 16, 1886.

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STATION INDIGATOR. Q No. 352,576. Patented Nov. 16, 1886.

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STATION INDICATOR.

No. 352,576. Pate'nted Nov. 16, 1886.

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- UNIT D STATES PATENT rrrcn.

ROBERT SEN FTNER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

STATION-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,576, dated November 16, 1886.

Application filed July 15, 1886. Serial No. 208,158. (No model.) a

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SENFTNER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Station-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to indicating automat ically, by means of dials or a hand on a dial to be placed conspicuously in a railroad-ear,

. the station in advance on a railroad-line as the car leaves the previous station, and for other purposes of like nature to which it may be advantageously applied. I attain this object by the mechanism herein described, and further illustrated by the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a central section of a car, showing the'manner of using my invention. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the indicating apparatus. Fig. 2 is a section through the same, taken on the liner 00. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my automatic mechanism for working the indicator. Fig. 5 is a top View of the same. Fig. 6 is a detail View.

Similar letters refer to similar parts through out the several views.

In Fig. 1, A is the car or other conveyance upon which it is desired to use my device. I suspend in the center of the car, by means of brackets B B, or in any other desirable manner, my automatic indicating device, which can either be placed facing the ends or the sides of the car, whichever way it maybe desired to use it.

I construct or place either on the level of the track or suspend from any convenient place a gradually rising and falling faced stationary projecting piece or pieces, O O.

The mechanism illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 I place in the most convenient place, as illus trated in Fig. 1, in which D is a lever which projects from the car.

The car, in moving forward from a station, causes the lever D to ride over the stationary projecting pieces 0 O. The lever D is suspended from a shaft, E, which extends through the side of the car and carries on its inner end a pallet-shaped rocker, F. The two ends cm of the rocker F engage with two levers, G G, which are centered on the bolts 1) b. In the operation of this portion of myautomatic station-indicator the lever D, in riding over the stationary projecting pieces 0, elevates the end a of the pallet-shaped rocker F, causing the lever G to vibrate on the bolt b, depressing the cord 0, which is led by means of pulleys d to the indicator-case H. Should the car, by accident or otherwise, after it has once registered the coming station, travel backward until the lever D again rides over the stationary projecting piece C, it will have the reverse effect, depressing the cord 0, which is also led by means of pulleys coincident with those shown in Fig. 1, and marked d, to the indicator-case II. It very often happens that a car traveling, especially at a very rapid pace, has more or less upward and downward motion.

It will be readily seen that when the car is in its lowest position during the upward and downward motion the movement of theroeker F when the lever D strikes the stationary projecting piece 0 will be the greatest, and when the car is higher the movement of the rocker F will be less. rocker F and the levers G G are illustrated in Fig. 4 by dotted lines. An arm, I, projects downward from the rocker F, which connects by means of a link, J, to a spring, K, the end of which is coiled around the stud L. Thus it will be seen that the rocker F can be moved by the lever D almost out of contact with the levers G Gthat is, until it assumes nearly a perpendicular position limited by the stops 6 e, and will instantly be thrown into position again by means of the spring K, thereby keeping the lever D in a perpendicular position and ready for work. The levers G G are made to constantly engage with the rocker F by means of the springs f f, and their upward throw limited by the stops 5 g. The ends a a .of the rocker F are grooved, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to insure the perfect working of the levers G G about them.

It will be seen from the foregoing that by the use on both sides of the car, as shown in Fig. 1, of the mechanism illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5, the automatic indication of the station will be insured, no matter whether the car should run backward or forward over the same stationary projecting piece 0 any number of The positions assumed by the,

times, and when the car has. reached the end of its journey and makes the return-trip the device will continue to register the coming stations without any more adjustment or arrangement.

The cords c c c 0 are led by the pulleys, as

' shown in Fig. 1, to the indicator-case H, where blocks j j, the ends of which project through the slots t i, and to which washers k k are screwed to keep the blocks M M in position. N N are twoabutment-blocks, against which the blocks M M abut, and O is a solid iron backing used to support the mechanism.

P is a shaft passing through the indicatorcase H, support S, and dials QQ, fixed on one or both sides of the case H, and carrying on its outer ends two hands or pointers, R R.

T is a composite wheel carried by the shaft P and formed of three parts, T T T, of which T T are two ratchet-wheels, the teeth of which are tangential; and T, a detentwheel, the teeth of which are either made as shown or can be formed of semicircles. The teeth of the wheels T T are set in opposite directions to each other, and the fiat or radial face of the teeth of each wheel is always pre- Sented upward.

The blocks M M have projections Z Z formed on their inner sides, to which are pivoted at Z two pawls, U U. These pawls are carried by the upward movement of the blocks M M over the peripheries of their respective wheels, aided by the springs m m, until the maximum point is reached, when they enter the teeth. The points 02. 11., formed on the ends of the pawls U U, engage with the teeth, and when the blocks M M are released the spring V returns them to their original position, drawing the pawls with them, moving the composite wheel one tooth, and the pawls then resume their position outside of the radius of the ratchet-wheels T T, leaving them free to revolve in either direction. Of course it must be understood that but one of the blocks M M, pawls U U, and ratchet-wheels T T Workat the same time, either set being used, as may be desired, for either backward or for ward, block M, pawl U, and wheel T forming one set, and block M, pawl U, and wheel T forming another. The forward movement of the pawls is limited by the stops 0 O.

p is a spring-detent-, pivoted at p, and carrying on its end a roller, 1). This roller is made to engage with the teeth of the detent wheel T by the spring p, thus preventing any accidental turning of the composite wheel and insuring a regularity of motion.

Having thus far described my device in detail, I willnow proceed to describe its operation.

The car in moving forward causes the lever D to ride over the stationary projecting piece 0, rocking the rocker-arm F, which in its turn vibrates the lever G, depressing its pulling end, and with it the cord 0, which is led over the pulleys cl to theindicator-case H. The cord 0, being attached by means of the hook h to the block M, elevates it, and with it the pawl U, which-enters the teeth of the wheel T. When the lever D has ridden entirely over the stationary projecting piece 0 it assumes its normal position, carrying with it the rocker F, both being assisted by the spring K. The springfdraws down the lever G, and, relieving the cord 0 of its load, permits the spring V to act, drawing down the block M, and with it the pawl U, and turning the wheel one tooth, and with it' the hand. The turning of the ratchet-wheel also turns the detent-wheel, and the roller 1)" enters the next detent and prevents the composite wheel or hands moving until again acted on by the pawls. When the car is running in a direction opposite to that previously taken, the same effect will be produced by the other combination, except that the hands will indicate the stations in the reverse order. Should a car be turned around, it will in no way affect the accurate automatic indication of the stations.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a station-indicator, a stationary projecting piece, 0, formed with a gradually rising and falling face, and located 011 the line of a railroad, anda vibrating lever, D, so suspended from the car that it shall engage with thestationary projecting piece 0 and be vibrated by it, in combination with the indicator-operating mechanism rigidly aflixed to the car, and composed of the rocker F, capable of being turned either way, and which is rigidly aflixed to the shaft E, which shaft E carries the vibrating lever D, the levers G G, so placed as to engage with the ends of the rocker F, said levers G G being made to constantly engage with the ends of the rocker F by means of the springs f f, stops 9 g, for limiting the upward throw of the pulling endsof the levers G G, stops 6 e, for limiting the vibration of the rockerF, and spring K, connected to the rocker F by the arm I and link J, for retaining the lever D in a perpendicular position, substantiall y as described.

2. In astation-indicator for railway-cars, a composite ratchet-wheel, T, composed of the ratchet-wheels T T", engaging with the pawls U U, and the detent-wheel T, engaging with the detentp, superimposed one upon the other, and all fastened to one shaft or spindle, 1?, substantially as described.

3. In a station -indicator, the composite wheel T, composed of the ratchet-wheels T T" and the detent-whee1 T, in combination with the pawls U U, engaging with the composite wheel '1, sliding blocks M M, which carry and in their upward movement actuate the pawls U U, and springs m m, one end of each being fastened to the sliding blocks M M and the other to the pawls U U, and stops 0 O, by which the contact-points of the pawls U U are prevented from entering within the radius of their respective ratchet-wheels, substantially as described.

4. In a station-indicator, the composite wheel T, composed of the ratchet-wheels '1" T and the detent-wheel T, in combination with the pawls U U, engaging with the composite wheel T, sliding blocks M M, which carry and in their upward movement actuate the pawls U U, springs m m, one end of each being fastened to the sliding blocks M M and the other to the pawls U U, stops 0 O, by

them and turning the composite wheel T, sub-,

stantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in pres ence of two witnesses,- this 23d day of August,

ROBERT SENFTNER. v

Witnesses:

OHAs. B. REDHEAD, RAWLINGS WEBSTER. 

